Star Wars: Episode VI - Die Rückkehr der Jedi-Ritter

In Episode VI scheint die Bühne für den Aufschwung der infantilen Possen von Episode I bereitet zu sein, doch der Schluss und das schicksalhafte Duell mit Darth Vader und dem Imperator selbst gehören zu den Höhepunkten der gesamten Serie. Kurzum, es ist klar, dass Lucas langsam der Größe seiner fiktiven Welt und ihrer möglichen flexiblen Anpassungsfähigkeit an ein Publikum unterschiedlichen Alters erlegen ist. Eine etwas schwächere Geschichte, aber immer noch genug Spielraum, um mit dem besten Stand der Science-Fiction in Kontakt zu bleiben... (27.01.2004)

It’s too bad that Marquand didn’t have his turn until after the brilliant Episode V. In Return of the Jedi, unlike in the preceding episode, Lucas became heavy-handedly involved in this, and his little live Monchhichi almost buried the movie. Although, compared to what Lucas gave us in Episode I, here we get only a tolerable dose of childish lameness, however annoying it is. Compared to the preceding episode, the pace at the beginning of this is overly relaxed while at the end the pace is overly rushed. In any case, this is a respectable end to the original trilogy, although it could (and should!) have been significantly better. (12.03.2005)

Probably the most fairytale-like episode of the existing series of Star Wars. It almost looks as if George Lucas found himself in the effects which brought us Critters, Gremlins, or the legendary series Dinosaurs. All of those monsters and freaks look just as good. But, I have to say that I don’t mind this deviation. On the contrary, I was happy not only because of them, but because of Chewbacca, who is on stage a lot more than usual. And when he isn’t there, you can still hear those odd sounds of his somewhere in the background. And the finale? That’s literally top-notch. It’s a shame that I will never get to know the feelings the fans back then had to have when they finished the movie and then realized they actually didn’t know how it all began and had to wait for it for almost twenty years. (04.11.2015)

A pretty uneven climax to the most overrated story in the history of cinema. The scenes with the Emperor and Darth Vader are great, the events on the forest moon are unnecessarily ruined by the childish Ewoks, and the opening half hour in Tatooine is almost unbearable. It’s decent fun, but putting Star Wars at the level of other fantasy and science fiction worlds is way too much. (21.02.2009)

The Skywalkers definitely don't limp to the finish line, but there are a few stumbles along the way. The very slow introduction of the main characters on stage, in fact, misses the desired effect, and it's not until Luke takes the lightsaber in his hand that I finally got the atmosphere of the classic Star Wars. However, what The Return loses in the beginning, it gains in the end. The final hour with the ultimate clash of lightsabers, non-stop action, last revelations, and inevitable goodbyes captivates and moves at the same time. (20.05.2006)